


things my heart used to know

by cactuuar



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Anastasia (1997), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-03-20 01:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18982090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactuuar/pseuds/cactuuar
Summary: In the times of kings and queens, of royal ballrooms and sweeping marble floors, King Regis was forced from his throne and torn from his only son and heir, Prince Noctis.Ten years later, he offers a handsome reward to anyone who can bring the Crown Prince back - and it will take a group of misfits to pull off the biggest con in history against the ever-growing Empire of Niflheim.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> aka the anastasia au we all need ( `ε´ )

The year is M.E. 744.

A king steps out of his quarters and into the lively, bustling hall, practically bursting with light that hangs from the ceilings, winking through perfectly cut diamonds and rhinestones. A servant rushes past him with a quick smile, arms full of fabric from the floating city of Altissia, and the king could almost smell the sea salt and feel the cool breeze on his throat. 

King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII is in a fabulously good mood, which meant something terrible is bound to happen - but no one knows that yet. Right now, he is loved by his subjects, a beacon of hope to Insomnia, and on his way to a ball. 

More than this, he is a father. 

The prince, full of more mischief than he knows what to do with all hidden behind a bright and innocent smile, is already enjoying himself on the ballroom floor, running through crowds and waltzes with laughter trailing behind him. His hair is the color of nightfall, eyes as bright and clear as a spring’s day, starry-eyed and moving from sparkling gown to dazzling suit across the ballroom. 

Little Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, running full speed towards the table dripping with chocolate covered strawberries and candied apples, is suddenly scooped up and tossed into the air by strong - safe, familiar, homely - arms, a bubble of laughter leaving his lips as he is caught and hugged close. King Regis sets him back onto the ballroom’s glossy marble floor, plucking two strawberries from the table. 

“I trust you aren’t stepping on toes or gowns,” the king says, kneeling and offering one of the fruits to the boy.

Noctis shakes his head, taking the strawberry gratefully with both hands. “Of course not, papa. I’ve been practicing dancing with Ignis.”

The king laughs, ruffling Noctis’ hair before standing to his full height. With the prince’s hand in his own, he leads him towards the throne at the front of the room, finishing the sweet in his hand just as another waltz begins. 

To the left of the throne stands a boy around little Noctis’ age, perhaps a bit older with his height and serious expression etched onto his face. Noctis lets go of his father’s hand to run towards the boy, reaching for his hand instead. 

“Why the serious expression, Ignis?” King Regis asks, sitting upon his throne. “You should be enjoying yourself for the night.”

“It’s still my duty to look after the prince, your Majesty.” Ignis insists, frowning when Noctis begins to giggle. 

“You don’t need to worry about that, you’re only twelve,” the prince says between bites of strawberry. “Let’s go dance!”

He has Ignis’ hand in his own and is about to descend the steps when King Regis calls out to him, reaching into his inner coat pocket. Noctis steps closer, eager to see what gift his father had this time - as if the beautiful ball wasn’t enough. 

“I’ve prepared a small gift for you, in celebration of your tenth birthday,” his father says, immediately grabbing the young prince’s attention. In the King’s hand sits a small sphere, golden stars carved around its surface along with the several swords of Lucis. Dyed a brilliant black and gold, Noctis thinks it fell straight from the heavens, a ball of starlight in his father’s hand. 

Seeing his son’s face totally enraptured by the music box in his hand brought a warmth to the king’s chest, and he reaches for the key around his neck. “If you ever find yourself straying wayward, or missing me when I’m gone on business, simply use this key to remind yourself of our family and ease your sadness.” 

The small key, held on a silver chain, fit into the music box with ease, and after two turns the top of the sphere was lifted, revealing two carbuncle figurines circling each other as a lullaby began to play. The very same tune that Noctis would often hear just before he drifted off to sleep when the nightmares refused to go away, when the darkness of his room seemed to surround him as if to choke him. 

Regis slips the necklace from his neck and fastens it around little Noctis’, who read aloud the words engraved on one side of the pendant, “Together… in Insomnia.”

“Our home.” Regis presses a kiss to the boy’s forehead. “As long as you keep this key with you, you’ll always find your way back home - and to me.”

He wishes those words were prove true no matter what faces them, and even now, ten years later, King Regis reflects on that promise and hates himself for ever making such a grand proposal to a boy who was too young, too innocent, to face what fate had in store for them.

 

* * *

Ardyn Izunia is and always will be unsettlingly charming. 

As chancellor of the empire of Niflheim, he figures it is only necessary to be so. He is seen and known everywhere in the empire, and his name has even reached the ears beyond the borders of their empire - King Regis included. 

Thus, it came as no surprise when the chancellor decided to drop by the Kingdom of Lucis to pay the royal family a friendly visit. 

His arrival is unannounced, mostly due to the fact that the guards cannot announce his name and arrival before he pushes the doors to the palace open and makes easy strides towards the throne. Ardyn bows with a swagger that may have been ridiculous had he not been so captivating, and addresses King Regis with a sweet voice. “Your Majesty, it is quite an honor.”

“I’m sure, Chancellor,” Regis says dryly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“As I’m sure you’ve heard, your borders are being pushed back further and further inward due to Niflheim’s impressive and outstanding magitek forces,” Ardyn begins, a smile stretching his lips and making Regis grow uneasy, “Thus I was sent to offer you a deal, in order to avoid any further destruction and violence.”

“I’m listening.”

“Give up what remains of your kingdom to the Empire of Niflheim.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then,” Ardyn says, keeping a steady gaze with Regis, “you and your kingdom will perish.”

King Regis expected as much, and thus he sends Chancellor Izunia away with a tight lipped smile and a wave of his hand, promising to “think it over” within the next few days. As soon as the man walked back through the front doors, Regis orders a preparation of troops. If he were to go down, he would go down with a fight. 

Prince Noctis steps out of the shadows of the throne room, an unusually serious expression on his face. 

“If you keep frowning like that, your lips will get stuck that way.” Regis tries for a joke, hoping Noctis hadn’t heard Ardyn’s threat. 

“I - I know. Sorry.” The prince says. “Papa, will we be alright? Who was that man?” 

King Regis immediately regrets not telling Ignis to keep him in his lessons for a bit longer. “The Chancellor of the Empire of Niflheim. He simply came for a visit.” 

“He didn’t sound very friendly.”

Regis manages a laugh, pulling the prince onto his knee. “No, he didn’t. Which is why I sent him away.”

Little Prince Noctis fiddles with the chain around his neck, rubbing his thumb over the engraving on the pendant given to him. “We’ll...We’ll be okay, right?”

The king sighs, pulling his son close in an embrace. Kissing his hair, he promises, “Yes. Of course we will, Noct.” 

Despite the preparations, despite the verbal warning, despite the promises, despite  _ everything,  _ nothing could have prepared the royal family for their own people storming the castle the next evening. Unhappiness had grown rampant in the remaining parts of Insomnia, including the territories already taken by Niflheim through force. 

Looking back on it, Regis understands their anger; had he done things differently, managed his kingdom differently, things might not have changed so drastically. 

Prince Noctis was woken by the sounds of windows shattering in the hallways before the doors to his room were thrown open by Ignis. He is quick and somehow calm as he instructs Noctis to prepare to evacuate the palace, ushering the boy out of his sheets to his feet. Regis soon enters his room, but unlike Ignis, looks pale and almost terrified. 

Shouting could be heard from outside and within the hallways of the palace, along with the marching of guards and firing of guns. Noctis can smell smoke, but wasn’t sure where it was coming from. One look out his window tells him it is from citizens throwing glass bottles filled with some type of liquid, bursting into flames as soon as they hit the palace windows and walls. 

“Noctis, quickly,” Regis’ voice snaps him out of his head, and he wastes no time in tying his boots up. The ground suddenly shakes beneath them, nearly knocking the three of them over. Footsteps start growing closer and closer towards the room. “We need to leave,  _ now.”  _

“My music box!” Noctis cries, steading himself on one of his toy boxes. Ignis carefully maneuvers his way towards the prince’s nightstand, swiping the sphere to tuck into his pocket for safe keeping. 

“Your Majesty, there are servant passageways hidden throughout the entire palace,” Ignis says, pushing a dresser to the side and pushing through a square outline in the wall. It gives, revealing a door and staircase. “They will lead you to the gardens.” 

King Regis grabs Noctis, hoisting him onto his hip. “Follow closely behind us, Ignis. After that, get away from the palace as fast as you can.”

The boy nods, locking eyes with Noctis one last time before pushing them through the doorway before shutting it tight. Armed men burst through the doors to Prince Noctis’ room, their weaponry something that Ignis has never seen before. They didn’t look like ordinary guns or swords - he could only guess they were the infamous magitek armory. But how did ordinary townspeople get their hands on them?

Ignis would have to find the answer to that later. Right now, he needed to stall long enough for the King and Noctis to get to safety.

 

* * *

 

Sometime earlier that evening, it had begun to snow terribly, clouding the roads and streets with thick blankets of snow almost too hard to get through without the proper clothing. Which, of course, King Regis and Prince Noctis did not have at the moment. 

Nevertheless, Regis pushes through the cutting winds and sheets of snow rather quickly, holding tightly to his son. They are a little ways away from the crumbling and smoking palace, overrun by magitek weapons and upset townspeople, but not quite out of the woods yet. Anyone could find them - including the Chancellor of Niflheim, it would seem.

He steps out of an alleyway just as they reach a busy street, people bustling from the news of the palace under attack and catching fire. Blocking their path, he removes his hat with another dramatic bow, catching Noctis’ eye. 

“So  _ this _ is the prince you’ve been hiding within your walls,” Ardyn says, bolts of electricity climbing up his fists and arms. “Well, he won’t be prince for long. Not without a kingdom to rule over.” 

“I should have known you were behind this,” Regis says, summoning his blade in the blink of an eye. “Move, or I will force you.” 

“Leaving the party so soon?” Ardyn flashes a wicked grin before jutting his hand towards the pair, sending shocks of electricity flying straight at them. King Regis blocks the attack cleanly, raising his blade just in time. Ardyn snarls and throws his dagger down onto Regis’ blade, pushing the two backwards. 

Another bolt of lightning comes their way, and Regis brings a magical barrier up to stop the attack. Rather than wait for another attack, the king begins to run towards the chancellor as he moves to strike again with his dagger, but where blade was meant to meet flesh instead meets empty air. 

Ardyn chuckles to himself, pocketing his weapon. Regis won’t be able to warp very far in his condition. 

Besides, he thinks, without an heir to the throne, the Lucis line will die with Regis. He only needed to do something about that little prince.

Which was true. King Regis barely manages to warp them to the train station nearby, nearly collapsing in exhaustion once there. Noctis wriggles out of his father’s grasp to set his feet on the ground, helping his father regain his balance. There are too many people and too many prying eyes to catch his breath here, so the king takes his son’s hand and begins towards the train that’s about to take off. 

He isn’t even sure where it’s going, but as long as it was away from Insomnia and away from Ardyn, it was their best bet. The passenger car had just finished loading passengers, but Regis sees an opening on the caboose and practically sprints to catch it in time. He hauls Noctis onto it first, stepping in just behind him while holding onto the railing with a shaky hand. The train begins its take off, wheels spinning and car rattling on top of the tracks. 

For a moment, everything seems calm - the train is moving, his son is with him and safe - but of course, King Regis is unfortunately unaware of Chancellor Ardyn Izunia’s range of tricks. 

Some invisible force, as if a string pulling at the collar of little prince’s night shirt, suddenly knocks him towards the ground. Regis is quick, reaching for him and barely managing to catch his hand as Noctis began running to catch up with the train’s climbing speed. 

“Noctis - don’t let go!” His father yells, straining to keep his grip. He hears a laugh echoing somewhere nearby. 

“I’m - I’m slipping!”

“I’ve got you, don’t -”

Then, a snap, and Noctis’ little hand is yanked away from his father’s. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

There wasn’t much worth noting about young Lucio’s life. 

Besides being one of the more mysterious members of the orphanage - no memories meant plenty of space for the other kids to make up fake scenarios and made up relatives - he usually kept to himself during his days. He remembered showing up to the orphanage’s door, remembered being asked where he came from and what his name was, to which he could only shake his head and mutter an “I dunno.” No matter how hard he tried, it was as if there was a mental wall keeping him from his memories that refused to go down the older he grew.

The other kids liked him just fine despite his lack of childhood memories, helping him to make new ones as the years went on and the kingdom of Lucis changed. They even helped him pick out his name, seeing as he couldn’t remember his old one. Lucio knew vaguely of the fall of the royal family at the hands of Niflheim, but was never very interested in the subject. History, no matter how recent, was unable to hold Lucio’s attention for long. 

Growing up at the orphanage proved to be a fine replacement for his lost memories. Living in the city of Lestallum, coupled with the vast amount of freedom Lucio was given as a child and early teen, he was never truly lonely or bored. There was always food to be tasted, sights to be seen, people to meet and talk to; an entire adventure awaited him every day, so he figured his past life must not have been much compared to this. He stopped trying to remember, despite a nagging voice in the back of his head that told him otherwise, despite the silver necklace he kept around his neck with the words “Together in Insomnia”, found on him as a child. 

He refused to let it mean something - refused to hope that someone was looking for him. 

Now, at twenty years old, Lucio could be found doing one of the things he loved most: sleeping in till the afternoon on Saturdays. 

Which was almost always interrupted by one of the other eldest members of the orphanage, who also happened to be his closest friend. 

“C’mon, Sleeping Beauty!” Prompto said, pushing the navy blue curtains aside to let the sunlight stream into their shared room. Lucio pulled his blanket over his head with a groan, swaddling himself into a cocoon. “Chores aren’t gonna do themselves. And I am  _ not  _ gonna let you bribe me into doing your share like last weekend.” 

It was a damn good bribe, too. A week’s worth of desserts in exchange for Lucio’s dish duty. 

Prompto sighed, seeing that he would have to use force to get Lucio out of bed. Taking a few steps back, he took off into a run before launching himself onto his bed, catapulting Lucio onto the floor with a  _ thud.  _ At least he was wrapped up in a thick blanket. 

“Agh - dude!” Lucio unraveled himself to glare at the blonde, who was laughing  _ much  _ too hard. “You could have broken my neck!”

“Even then, you wouldn’t be able to skimp out on chores.” Prompto said in a sing-song voice, pushing himself off of the bed to help Lucio onto his feet. “The sooner we get ‘em done, the sooner you can take a six hour nap.”

Lucio grumbled under his breath, taking Prompto’s hand and rising to his feet. He tossed his blanket back onto his bed before taking off to brush his teeth. 

His life had a routine that he rather liked - school during the week, chores during the weekends, and any free time in between was spent either sleeping or with Prompto and the other kids - and while it wasn’t extravagant by a longshot, it was enough for Lucio. Looking in the mirror as he scrubbed away at his teeth, he took in his features through heavy lidded eyes: dark messy hair, dull blue eyes, thin but hiding muscle (or at least, he hoped there was muscle hiding somewhere in his arms and legs). 

He was pretty average, in his eyes. 

“Okay, what’s on the to-do list for today?” Lucio yawned as he re-entered their room. 

Prompto didn’t glance up from his phone as he replied, “We just gotta run and pick up some groceries at the market. After that we can grab lunch if you wanna.”

“That actually sounds fantastic.” Lucio said, slipping his sleep shirt off in exchange for a t-shirt from his drawer. “Skewers?”

Prompto smiled, rising from the bed to bow. “Whatever his Sleepy Highness commands.”

 

* * *

“Y’know, Luce,” Prompto said in between bites of pork and roasted bell pepper, “I’ve been thinkin’.”

“That’s never a good thing.” Lucio murmured, picking out the veggies from his skewer to add to Prompto’s plate. “What’s been on your mind?”

“It’s just - you really don’t remember  _ anything  _ from your childhood. You could literally be anyone. You could be a Niff.”

“Or I could be part magitek. Half mermaid. A quarter chocobo.” 

The blonde rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. And if anyone’s part chocobo, it might as well be me.” He tugged at his fluffy strands of golden hair with a frown. “It doesn’t  _ really  _ look like a chocobo butt, does it?”

Lucio stifled a laugh, popping another bit of beef in his mouth. “Don’t ask me. I’ll just hurt your feelings.” 

Despite their joking, Prompto’s words  _ did  _ strike a cord in Lucio. He didn’t like to dwell on the past - or his lack thereof - because he didn’t want his only childhood memory being one of him being given up to the orphanage by a parent who didn’t want him. Not that that would have been the only reason to give him up, he was aware there might have been circumstances in which giving him to the orphanage might have been the best option, and if so, he was  _ grateful _ towards his parents, whoever they might be. 

The necklace around him told him otherwise, however. He never showed or told anyone; not even Prompto knew about it. It was better if he didn’t think about someone trying to find him, or entertain the idea of his parents possibly waiting for him to come back to the fallen city of  Insomnia. 

Lucio took another bite of beef. His life was perfect the way it was. No past meant no worries.

 

* * *

 

 

There had been rumors, of course, of the lost Prince of Lucis somehow surviving the attack on the palace ten years ago. No one quite knows how it spread, and no one quite seriously believes it, but it has remained a hot topic amongst citizens of the Empire of Niflheim and what remained of Lucis. 

In fact, even King Regis himself, no longer dripping in diamonds and aglow with magic, has heard of the rumor. He might have been the only one to take it to heart - which had been broken since losing little Prince Noctis - as he was the one who set the reward for the prince’s return nearly eight years ago. 

Ignis Scientia first heard this rumor while on his way back from class one evening, exactly eight years and two months ago. He remembered hearing the words “reward” and “lost Prince Noctis” from a food stall near his campus and almost stopped in his tracks. 

To think Prince Noctis could still be  _ alive _ \- 

Part of him knew it couldn’t be true. King Regis had managed to escape by train, but had taken refuge without his son and without any explanation. Everyone assumed he had died somehow along the way, or even before they had reached the train. 

There was no way he could be alive. It have been a year since the attack on the palace, so wouldn’t Noctis have looked for his father? Or even Ignis? 

It was much too good to be true, so Ignis carried on his way home, forcing himself to think on other things. 

Now, eight years and two months later, he stood with the keys to an old theater near the crumbling palace of the royal family in Insomnia. A list of names sat tucked in his back pocket - names of boys who could potentially play the part of the Lost Prince perfectly. 

The plan was near flawless, really: he and his business partner, Gladio Amicitia, would set up “try-outs” of sorts in order to track down a boy who could play the part of the prince, then deliver him to the King to collect the handsome reward and be on their way. Some poor soul would find a new family with the King, and Ignis and Gladio would find new fortune. 

He never guessed he would be trying to con his own King.

Ignis started on his way to Gladio, tucking the keys into his pocket. Auditions would begin tomorrow, and there was no room for doubt. 

After the fall of the royal family and King Regis was forced to flee into a smaller city, Niflheim was quick to take over Insomnia and place its ever-powerful magitek weapons in place. They claimed it was for “security”, but people are more scared than ever to leave their houses. 

The marketplace, however, was generally busy from day to day. Thankfully, Gladio and Ignis were able to keep a few gil in their pockets by selling home-cooked food, a skill they both shared and enjoyed. 

Music was playing from within the stall of mazes, adding a light-hearted atmosphere to the buzzing market as people moved from stall to stall, vendor to vendor, as the sun rose high into the clear sky. Ignis weaved his way through crowds and customers towards one of the smaller stalls in the middle of the maze and straight to his business partner.

One glance at Gladio Amicitia and one would think he was all muscle and no brain, but that couldn’t be further from the truth - he was all muscle, alright, with black inked tattoos snaking up his arm and chest, but he was also incredibly bright. Ignis practically trusted him with his life in all of the years he’s known him.

“There he is,” Gladio greeted brightly as Ignis stepped into the stall. The food smelled wonderful, a blend of spices and dark colored sauces that nearly made his mouth water. “How did the hunt go? Find anything?”

Ignis chanced a glance towards two sets of guards patrolling the area. Following Gladio’s lead, he replied smoothly, “I managed to find an area we could possibly use for camp. We should be able to begin preparations tonight in order to set out tomorrow.”

“Then we can take off a little early today to get ready, then.” 

“That would be best.” 

They shared a knowing look and smiled, before Ignis stood to pull an apron on to help for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

 

Lucio held the pendant in front of him from his bedroom balcony, the silver twinkling in the moonlight. Below him, music played from the streets and laughter trailed from the market a few blocks away, savory smells wafted upwards from food vendors and restaurants. 

“Together… in Insomnia.” He read, running his pointer finger along the jagged edge of one end. It didn’t look broken, but rather it looked as if it fit into something. 

Prompto stepped into their room, fresh from the shower with damp hair. Freckles littered his cheeks and nose and spilled onto his shoulders and collarbones, a light chestnut color that matched the gold of his hair. Noctis remembered being envious of his freckles when they were younger, and a tiny part of him still is. 

“Are you sulking on the balcony, again?” The blonde asked as he stepped out to join Lucio, shivering against the breeze. “Is that your idea of a fun Saturday night?”

“Maybe.” Lucio said, managing a smile. 

Prompto’s eye caught the jewelry in his hand. “What’s that?”

“I, um…” Lucio wasn’t sure where to start. “I’ve had this ever since I got here. Like, ten years ago. It’s kinda the only thing I have from my childhood. There’s a message engraved on it.” 

“Are you serious? What’s it say?”

“Together in Insomnia.” 

Prompto leaned against the railing of the balcony next to Lucio, running a hand through his hair. “Dude, this is, like - what if you have family waiting there? Or friends or something?”

“What if I  _ don’t?”  _ Lucio said, rubbing at his eyes, a habit he’s done since he was a teenager. “I don’t even - ugh. I can’t just trust some necklace to tell me where I should go or what I should do. Maybe whoever had me had good reason to give me up.”

Prompto hesitated before asking, “But what if they’re waiting for you?”

Lucio rubbed the pendant with his thumb, eyes following the curves of the letters of “Insomnia”. He didn’t want to think about that, much less talk about it, but Prompto practically had a skill for reading his mind. “I dunno. I dunno if - I don’t wanna get hurt if I look for whoever gave me this necklace and find no one waiting for me.” 

“Look, Luce,” Prompto said, sighing. “Even if you don’t find anyone, you’ll still have a home to come back to. You’re twenty, dude, life’s too short  _ not _ to try to find your family.”

Lucio glanced from the pendant to Prompto, frowning. “You’re one to talk.”

“Don’t change the subject,” The blonde took Lucio by the shoulders, giving a small shake. “We’re gonna find out who gave you that necklace, and that’s that.” 

“You just wanna take a roadtrip to Insomnia like some tourist.”

“That may be true,” he said, “but more than that, I  _ really  _ wanna help you find your family, Lucio.” 

The dark-haired boy sighed heavily, finally nodding.  _ “Fine,  _ okay, we’ll… go to Insomnia or whatever.” 

Prompto grinned, pulling Lucio in for a noogie. “Yes! Dude, we gotta stock up on snacks and shit for the road - this is gonna be so cool!” 

Despite himself, Lucio couldn’t help but laugh, trying to shove Prompto off of his shoulder and hair before one of the other kids yelled at them to get to bed. 

That night, he dreamt of a too-fast train and metal tracks stained with blood. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bitches be like "i'll update frequently!!!" and not touch their fics for months at a time
> 
> i'm bitches

Getting to Insomnia proved a bit more difficult than expected. 

Prompto and Lucio were denied access to the orphanage’s van - something about Lucio barely being able to pass his driving test and Prompto failing his - which set them back an entire vehicle. However, with Prompto’s optimism and Lucio’s willingness to be dragged along, it proved only to be a speedbump. Tickets to Insomnia by bus were rather cheap, as there wasn’t much of a demand to visit the fallen city, anyways, so using a bit of their savings, they were able to grab two seats on the next bus that Sunday morning. 

“How long did the driver say the trip would take?” Lucio asked, already making himself comfortable in his seat. 

“Uh… I think around four hours.”

“Perfect,” He pulled his hoodie over his eyes and yanked the strings tight, “wake me when we’re there.” 

The ride there was uneventful, as Prompto quickly followed suit after his phone ran out of battery. By the time the bus arrived at its stop, Prompto had drooled all over Lucio’s favorite hoodie, resulting in a grumpy Lucio and one less wearable hoodie for the trip. 

“Not like you’ll need it,” Prompto tried after offering to tie it around his waist so Lucio wouldn’t have to touch any “cooties”. The dark-haired boy kept a brisk pace, hands shoved in his pockets. “C’mon, it’s hot today! You’d be boiling in this thing anyways!”

“I’d be burning to death but at least I’d look  _ good.”  _

Insomnia, despite technically being part of Niflheim for the past ten years, hadn’t changed very much. People left their homes much less, of course, but there were still jobs to do and money to be made, thus citizens learned to work with the mechanical eyes of magitek soldiers staring at their backs. 

Passing through the streets, it was obvious that this once flourishing capital of Lucis was heavily monitored. The pair passed by several armed soldiers - which they found weren’t really  _ human  _ at all once they got a good look - patrolling each block. 

“Well, does anything look familiar?” Prompto asked as they stepped into a small shop full of extravagant hats and jewelry. It all looked much too pricey for their part time paychecks. 

Lucio picked up a simple cap with a fish and hook embroidered onto it. “Not… really. I don’t think I spent my childhood in a hat shop. Or surrounded by magitek.”

“Fair enough.” Prompto muttered as the other boy left to buy the cap in his hands. 

A bit more sightseeing - well, whatever sights that were left to see that hadn’t been shut down or abandoned - proved fruitless as Lucio couldn’t remember anything having to do with his childhood or possible parents. Prompto, ever the optimist, kept a sunny disposition as they continued their way through the city, weaving through crowds and avoiding magitek soldiers at every corner. High skyscrapers pierced through the sky, glittering with lights as the sun began to set beyond the horizon and night fell onto the city. 

As they made their way through alleyways and across narrow streets, Lucio’s stomach began to churn. “Dude, I think we’re lost.”

“Whaddya mean?” 

“I  _ mean,  _ I think we’re lost. I don’t see any tourist-y places on this side of the city.”

Prompto frowned. “Are you getting scared or something?” 

“I dunno, I mean, being lost in a huge ass city with barely any money for a hotel room isn’t exactly my idea of a vacation.”

The blonde scoffed, continuing to press on. Lucio followed for fear of being left behind, glancing at their surroundings uneasily. While the streets were originally bustling with people and magitek, they slowly began to dwindle into emptier and smaller streets the more the pair twisted and turned through the city. It was odd - one would think that the once famous city of Insomnia would have a buzzing nightlife, but the deeper they went into the city, the more desolate it became. 

It was when they passed a street full of shut down shops and restaurants that Lucio’s gut instinct was to turn around and find somewhere cheap to spend the night. There was clearly nothing that remained of his childhood in this dying city. 

Until they turned a corner and Lucio looked up. 

The city’s main attraction - or, rather, past attraction - lay abandoned. The palace, after having been ransacked and nearly burned to the ground, had barely remained intact, but its skyscraper remained in one piece, jutting into the sky proudly. Legends of it being home to the mysterious crystal of Lucis always fascinated Lucio as a child. He’d listen with wide eyes and an odd warmth in his chest as the older kids would talk of its magic, wondering if it were really true. 

He felt a pull in the direction of the palace, and hadn’t noticed his feet beginning to move in its direction. A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his daze, snapping him back into reality. 

“What are you doing?  _ Pretty _ sure we’d get arrested if we tried to get in,” Prompto said, all but yanking Lucio backwards. Lucio noticed his hands were clammy. 

He brushed the blonde’s hand off. “What, you getting scared or something?” 

Prompto watched as he went off in the direction of the palace gates, glancing from him and back to the street they came down. After a few moments of going through worst case scenarios in his head, he took off after Lucio, damned if he was going to let him get caught by himself. 

The gates were rusted, hanging open with the padlock broken. They tried to be as quiet as possible, making sure not to let the gates squeak too much as they wormed through and into the massive courtyard. It had three roads, including the one they were walking on, leading into a roundabout, with two sets of stairs leading to the palace doors. It was grand to consider; and even grander to think that this was once a spirited palace. Lucio could imagine carriages pulling up to the palace doors, horses prancing through snow to arrive on time to one of the balls. He could imagine the king standing at the doors, greeting them in, and next to him - 

“Hey,” Prompto said, pointing underneath the staircases, “Y’think there’s a way in through there?” 

There was a dip in the architecture, along with another slight dip in the bricks around it. 

They shared a glance. “It can’t be that easy.” Prompto said, watching as Lucio ran his hands along the wall. He pressed down on the dips, pushing them further into the wall. As he did so, the larger dip pushed completely in, moving aside to reveal a staircase leading into the palace. 

Prompto clapped him on the back, pushing past him with a quiet  _ whoop! _ into the passageway. 

“There are servant passageways hidden throughout the entire palace…” Lucio found himself muttering, as if remembering something an old friend said years ago. But no friend came to mind. Without giving it another thought, he followed the blonde down the staircase and into the bowels of the palace, using his phone’s flashlight to light the way. 

“What if there’s guards or something waiting on the other side?” Prompto said, latching onto the other boy’s arm. 

Lucio scoffed, patting his arm. “If there is, I’ll just act like you kidnapped me and brought me down here. Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to see  _ all  _ of Insomnia?” 

When the two exited the staircase, they found themselves in what seemed like one of the kitchens. Everything looked overturned and abandoned, as if people left in a hurry. Nearly all of the pots and pans had a layer of dust over them, along with the countertops. 

Oddly enough, Lucio could faintly smell food. He wrote it off as a craving. 

“Well, no guards.” Lucio sighed, carefully walking around a pile of shattered plates. “Still kinda dangerous, though.” 

“I keep forgetting this place was, like, attacked.” Prompto said quietly, fidgeting with the bandana tied around his wrist. Lucio followed his gaze towards a doorway, where its door had been ripped off its hinges. “Makes me wonder if the prince really survived or not.”

Lucio peeked out of the doorway and into a short hallway, stairs leading upwards. “Maybe we’ll run into him upstairs.”

The stairs led to a parlor room, its furniture torn and knocked over. Stepping over chairs and couches, they eventually stumbled into the grand ballroom. Sweeping marble floors and windows stretching from floor to ceiling - all of which were smashed or cracked. Lucio didn’t have to try very hard to picture it in its prime, strangely enough. He could see the gowns dragging across the floor, could feel their silk and lace as he dashed in between couples towards the dessert table. The men dressed in medals and robes, but the most regal must have been the king. 

At least, he imagined. 

“Woah, dude...” Prompto gasped, eyes blinking up at a portrait behind them. The king - whose name was escaping Lucio at the moment - stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword, leaning against an elegant and sleek car. In his other arm, he carried a sleeping child. Lucio fiddled with the chain around his neck, rubbing the pendant with his forefinger and thumb.

“Is that the prince?” Lucio asked, stepping towards the painting. The paint was, miraculously, still intact and untouched after all these years. “Noctis?”

“I guess he was a kid when everything happened.” The blonde’s attention had left the painting by that point, having heard something in the distance. Footsteps, a door opening and closing. Lucio and Prompto glanced from each other towards the back of the ballroom, where another grand staircase led to two overturned thrones. 

Voices trailed into the ballroom. 

“You act like it’s my fault none of them fit the part,” Someone said, voice deep and a touch husky. 

“I never said it was your fault,” Another replied, a smoother voice with an accent tilting their words. “But I’m allowed to be frustrated.”

Lucio reached for Prompto’s wrist, yanking him behind one of the large pillars of the ballroom. The two voices continued their conversation, getting closer towards the ballroom. 

“Why are you even worrying so much? We can just get more guys and host more auditions.”

“Our timeline is limited.” The one with the accent said. “Who knows when the King will call for a stop for this search.” 

“Even if he does, do you think he’d really turn his son away?”

_ “If _ he even believes it’s his son.”

Lucio quirked an eyebrow, craning his neck to peek towards the two men now entering the ballroom. Prompto leaned out from under him, trying to get a look at the two as well. His balance was thrown off trying to peek, and Lucio didn’t have time to grab him before the blonde fell onto his face, hitting the marble floor hard. 

The two men stopped talking almost immediately, their eyes now on the boy rubbing his cheek and nose. 

“How - How did you get in here?” The one with the accent asked carefully, pushing his glasses up higher onto his nose. 

The man behind him took a step towards the blonde, towering over all three of them easily. “I doubt he’s alone.” 

Lucio groaned quietly, finally stepping out from behind the pillar to jerk Prompto back up, who had been scared into silence. “Look, we’re sorry for trespassing, or whatever, but we’re tourists and -”

“That doesn’t explain how you got in.” The taller man interrupted. 

Lucio narrowed his eyes. “ _ Right,  _ well, not like there’s anything guarding this place.”

“The palace doors are locked, including those to the kitchens and garages.” The man wearing glasses said evenly, matching Lucio’s narrowed eyes. “I doubt tourists would have known where to look to get in.”

“We-We found this hidden staircase,” Prompto finally said, “Under the stairs.”

The two men shared a look. The glasses-clad man turned back to them with a click of his tongue, “Be that as it may, the palace is closed.”

“Looks pretty open to me if two tourists can just waltz in.” Lucio muttered, crossing his arms. 

Prompto elbowed him in the chest, grabbing his arm to begin pulling him away. “W-Well, we’re gonna go and, uh, yeah. You know. Sorry for trespassing! We really didn’t think there’d be anyone else here, so... “ The end of his sentence trailed off with an uneasy smile, Lucio glaring daggers at the pair the entire while. 

“Should we turn them in?” The taller asked quietly.

“No, they look harmless.” The shorter sighed, watching as they passed by the royal portrait of the king and prince. As fate would have it, Lucio looked back towards the men at that particular moment, just underneath the prince sleeping in his father’s arms. 

Dark hair, round cheeks, and those icy blue eyes Ignis never thought he’d see again - 

“Wait!” The word left his mouth before he could think the possibility over, taking off towards the two leaving the ballroom. His partner followed behind. “Wait!”

Prompto and Lucio froze, startled by the two suddenly bounding up the stairs towards them. 

“Excuse me,” Ignis said when he finally reached the two, looking directly towards Lucio, “what is your name?”

“Lucio,” The boy said uncertainly, looking the man up and down. He was just being thrown out, why was he asking who he was? “What’s it to you?”

“Where are you from?”

Lucio’s hand went to the pendant around his neck. “Lestallum.” 

“We’re both from an orphanage.” Prompto added. Lucio rolled his eyes. 

“Iggy, where are you getting at?” Gladio asked, before he glanced from the portrait back to the boy in front of them. Realization dawned on his face. “Oh, shit.”

“I take it you weren’t originally born in Lestallum.” Ignis pressed. 

“So what if I wasn’t? I don’t know where I  _ was  _ born,” Lucio pulled the pendant from under his shirt, showing its message,  “I was found wandering around with this around my neck.”

“That’s also kinda why we’re here.” Prompto said.

Ignis stood to his full height, stepping back from both Lucio and the portrait. “My apologies for the personal questions, but you look an awful lot like the lost prince.”

“You  _ do  _ kinda look like him,” Gladio chimed in. “Same hair.”

“Same eyes.”

“King Regis’ smile.”

“He even has the same frown as the prince.”

Face flushed, Lucio stepped away from the two, pulling Prompto with him. “Are you trying to say you think  _ I’m  _ the lost prince?” 

“You don’t remember what happened to you, and no one knows what happened to him.” Gladio offered, shrugging. “Anything’s possible.”

Besides him, Prompto glanced from the painting back to his friend several times, the gears working in his head. “It  _ is  _ kind of a funny coincidence, Luce, don’t you think? You look sorta like him. He’s even sleeping in that portrait. You sleep, like, 24/7.” 

“Are you seriously considering I might be  _ royalty?” _ He groaned, rubbing at his eyes. “It’s kinda hard to accept that when you’ve been sharing a bathroom with six other people for your entire life.” 

“Regardless, Lucio, you  _ do  _ resemble the prince,” Ignis said. “We plan on reuniting the lost prince with the king -”

“For the reward money.” Lucio interjected, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly. “Right?”

“Reward money or not, we want to return this kingdom to its original glory as much as any other citizen of Insomnia.” Ignis said, only slightly surprised by Lucio’s quick wit. Despite the elaborate lies he’s concocted over the years, this one was anything but. “But, I yield. It is ultimately your decision, but we do not have time to dwell on it.” 

He gestured for Gladio to follow his lead, turning on his heel towards the opposite end of the ballroom. No one looked as much like the prince as Lucio did, and they both knew it. Which meant their chance at that reward was becoming more of a reality - but, more importantly, King Regis’ chance at retaking Insomnia was the real reward.

Thoughts ran through Lucio’s mind at a mile a minute. He wasn’t blind - he could see the similarities between himself and the prince, though just physical. He looked up towards the portrait again, locking his eyes on King Regis. He was younger here, poised tall with his glinting sword in hand, juxtaposing with the sleeping child in his arm. 

He gripped the pendant tighter, looking back towards Prompto.  _ “If  _ I go along with this, I don’t think I could do it alone.” 

The blonde grinned, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “Well, duh, dude. I wouldn’t have let you go without me.”

“Do you think we walked away too soon?” Gladio asked, glancing back towards the two, who were absorbed in their own conversation. 

“We cannot come off as too desperate,” Ignis said, slowing his pace. “Walk a bit slower.”

Lucio looked back towards the pair, sighing before calling out, “I’ll do it!” 


End file.
